


baby

by eqonine



Category: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Post-Canon, Run-On Sentences, Solo: A Star Wars Story Spoilers, a bit of angst, but like not a lot, han is a hot gay mess, just a bit, just modified certain scenes, lando is soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-16 04:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14804147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eqonine/pseuds/eqonine
Summary: six time han and lando flirted by calling each other baby, and one time it became more.





	baby

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first hanlando fic (and my first fic ever) and i'm nervous about posting it but this fandom seriously lacks fics so here i am giving this thing a shot lmao. i really hope this isn't too ooc but if it is, constructive criticism is always welcome!

The first time it happens, Han has no idea how big of a deal this pet name will become for them.  
  
He’s not shocked per say, he was told Lando was a huge flirt, but still. He wouldn’t even had called the conversation he and Lando were previously having flirting, but apparently L3 did. And she did know Lando better than anyone else on the ship. That was before…  
  
“You might want to buckle up, _baby_.”  
  
That short sentence, dripping with innuendo, ended with a term of endearment and accompanied by a knowing smirk almost sends Han to the floor. He manages to sit himself in the chair instead, and buckle up, still a bit… surprised? Flustered? Sure, he finds Lando good looking, maybe even attractive, and I mean who doesn’t, the guy’s stunning. But Lando probably wasn’t meaning anything by calling him like that and it’s not worth wasting his time overthinking it.  
  
He hasn’t called anyone else that in all the time Han spent with him though... Not even L3 or Qi’ra. Just him.  
  
The realization does make an uncalled-for darker blush rise on Han’s already flustered cheeks and as his stomach twists in a way it has never twisted before, he isn’t sure if he can blame what’s happening to him entirely on his body reacting to the Falcon going from regular to light speed for the first time.  
  
***  
  
The second time it happens, Han is expecting it even less than he was the first time.  
  
They’re on Kessel, fighting just outside the Falcon as the major riot initiated by L3 is happening all around them. It’s total chaos and Han has a hard time focussing on one thing at once, trying desperately to protect Chewie and his other Wookie friend as they bring the coaxium into the ship, and cover Lando as he fiercely fights at his side.  
  
It’s almost over, the coaxium is almost all secure inside the Falcon, when L3 gets shot. In a split second, Han sees Lando scream and run towards her and he feels his own heart sink to the pit of his stomach. He doesn’t want anything to happen to him, but he also can’t abandon his post.  
  
Then Lando gets shot.  
  
Throwing all caution to the wind, Han runs head first into the mass of droids and freed slaves fighting for their lives. His heart is hammering in his chest and his breath is stuck in his throat. He can’t lose Lando. He doesn’t know why or when in the day he grew so… attached to this smug asshole, but he knows that he simply can’t leave him there to die.  
  
As soon as he reaches Lando, Han hauls him up on his feet as fast as he can, making sure he doesn’t hurt his injured arm more, thanking all the gods that it wasn't anything more life threatening, and doesn’t make him lose grip on the part of L3 he was able to salvage.  
  
“C’mon buddy, you can do it, we’re almost there,” says Han, slightly desperate and trying to convince himself of his own words. Lando is resting most of his weight on Han by then, slowing them both down more, but Han is determined to not let go of him as he fires some enemies with his blaster.  
  
Chewie thankfully comes to the rescue, his grunts offering to take Lando in his own arms. Knowing Lando will be brought to safety faster in his friend’s care, Han starts to let go of the gambler, but he only clutches onto his arm tighter, shaking his head in refusal.  
  
Han stays stunned for a moment at Lando’s unexpected reaction but is quickly brought back to reality by a nearby explosion. With Chewie covering them, both men make a run for the ship, reinvigorated by the Wookie’s protection and the impending finality of the battle around them.  
  
It’s when they reach the ship’s access ramp, a terrifying minute later, that the metaphorical bomb drops for the second time.  
  
“Thank you, _baby_. You saved my life.”  
  
Han shakes his head in a noncommittal way, trying to dissipate the shock of unexpected pleasure that having Lando use the pet name at him for the second time in a few hours sent coursing through his veins.  
  
“Of course, pal. Now let’s get you inside.”  
  
Even after they’re all safe inside the Falcon, during the too short pause they have before Han needs to take control of the ship and get their asses off Kessel, he doesn’t let himself think about how sincere Lando’s baby sounded this time, more sincere than the cocky teasing tone of the first one, but still flirty.  
  
He doesn’t let himself ache over it. Why would he? He’s not in love with the man or anything. He loves Qi’ra and everyone knows that.  
  
And Lando calling him baby twice in the same day means absolutely nothing, right? Lando is known to flirt with everyone, Han knows that.  
  
And why would Lando be interested in him anyway?  
  
***  
  
The third time it happens, they’re attempting to do the Kessel Run in less than 20 parsecs to get the coaxium to Savareen before it explodes, they just barely escaped some Imperial tie fighters that were sent after them, and they now have a gigantic tentacled monster trying to eat them, and on top of it all, they’re close to being pulled into a gravity well. And all this during Han’s first time piloting the Falcon. It’s going great.  
  
But of course, Han has a plan. It’s a stupid plan, but Han is nothing if not good at making stupid plans work. So, he puts it in execution.  
  
“That’s the escape pod!” screams Beckett as the pod gets launched into space.  
  
“I know,” replies Han. All charm and confidence. Faked or not, they don’t have to know it. Fake it till you make it, right?  
  
“Then why’d you do it?!” comes Lando’s angry reply. All the sweet sincerity from earlier had been long gone from his voice for a while and replaced by grief from the loss of L3, pain from his wound, and worry at not making it out of this alive.  
  
Honestly, Han doesn’t know it yet. His plan may totally fail, and they will get eaten alive by the giant monster. But he needs it to work. And if it works, if they make it out of this mess alive, and get the coaxium to Vos without any issues, he promises himself he’ll maybe do something about the unaddressed thing he feels exists between him and Lando. Maybe.  
  
Not even a few seconds after Lando’s out loud indignation, the big tentacled monster swallow the escape pod whole and starts falling down the gravity well. Han’s plan worked.  
  
Hiding the deep relief he feels at his success, Han turns around to look right in Lando’s eyes and smugly declares:  
  
“That’s why, _baby_.”  
  
His eyes drastically widen as he turns back around in his chair not a second after the word leaves his mouth. This was not planed. This was not supposed to happen. If he’d been alone, he would’ve smacked his head on the control panel. But he’s not, he can feel Qi’ra’s eyes on him, and they’re still not out of the woods yet, so he composes himself and pretends this was exactly what he’d meant to say.  
  
The thing is though, Han doesn’t use pet names lightly. Growing up on Corellia without a mother and with a not so affectionate father, terms of endearment were never a part of his regular vocabulary. He can’t even remember if he ever called Qi’ra by anything else than her actual name in all the time they dated.  
  
This inadvertent slip up, Han realizes, reveals a lot more about his feelings for Lando than he initially thought. More than he’d still like to admit.  
  
But he brushes all his thoughts aside once again to focus on the task at hand. His confusing feelings will have to wait for another day than this already way too insane one.  
  
And it’s not Han’s fault if Lando’s hand, suddenly squeezing his shoulder as he suggests putting a drop of coaxium in the fusion reactor to escape for good the magnetic field of the gravity well, makes the task a little harder, though.  
  
***  
  
The fourth time it happens, Han doesn’t expect it to be the last time he sees Lando. At least for a while.  
  
They just reached Savareen and the Falcon is in bad condition, but they’re all safe and so is the coaxium. So, all in all, it’s not going so bad, Han thinks. They just need to make the transaction with Vos and figure out what will happen with Qi’ra and him and then this whole thing will be over.  
  
He’ll be able to buy a ship and go wherever he wants with whomever he pleases. Maybe that person will be Lando.  
  
After helping to process the coaxium, Han carefully approaches Lando who is standing still, apart from the others, and staring at his broken-down ship.  
  
His heart starts beating dramatically faster as he gets closer to him, but Han decides to ignore it and hesitates only for a split second before slipping into his cool and smug persona, slinging his arm around Lando’s shoulders. Just like normal, regular friends do. If that’s even what he and Lando are.  
  
“She’s a hell of a ship,” Han says, and he is rewarded by a long sigh from his companion. Talking about the Falcon is playing it safe and avoiding the elephant Han feels is in the room, but at the same time, he really does love that ship.  
  
They stay in silence for a while, looking at the ship together. Han’s hands start to get sweaty and his heart rate can’t seem to slow down. Why did he decide it was a good idea to put his arm around Lando like that? They never had such prolonged physical contact before and it’s making Han painfully aware of how much he both loves and hates the unusual proximity.  
  
“I hate you,” finally says Lando, shaking his head and looking at the ground to hide his smile, but with a bit of heat in his tone.  
  
“I know,” proudly replies Han, feeling a sudden burst of confidence at Lando’s adora… at Lando’s reaction.  
  
They just stare at each other for a while, softly smiling but not daring to do anything else. Not that there's anything else to do, Han reminds himself, even though he’s sure that he sees Lando’s eyes slip down his face to look at his lips more than once during the short moment. He curses himself internally as he feels his cheeks lightly flush as Lando does it once more, his gaze lingering there this time.  
  
The moment gets interrupted by Beckett’s voice screaming at Han to come help him.  
  
“Well, my job here is done so I’m gonna be on my ship, in my quarters, waiting for you to bring me my share. And then I never want to see you again,” declares Lando with a knowing smirk before slowly backing away from the smuggler.  
  
“Never?” asks Han, squinting in the sun and unable to stop a bright smile from reaching his lips.  
  
“You will have to pay for the damages, Solo,” comes Lando’s reply, his voice a bit harsher than before. And then, “See you later, _baby_ ,” accompanied by a flirty wink, before he turns around and walks down the dune towards the Falcon.  
  
There is no pretending or hiding it anymore. Han is whipped. Almost angry at himself for how fluttery the pet name made his heart feel once again, Han turns around and starts walking towards Beckett, making sure to wipe the dumbstruck smile off his face.  
  
He still has a job to complete and only then will he be free to have a long overdue talk with the handsome gambler.  
  
***  
  
The fifth and sixth time it happens, it is both confusing and exactly what they wanted.  
  
The job on Sevareen is done. The coaxium went to Enfys Nest and the Cloud Riders to help the Rebellion, as it always should have. Dryden Vos is dead, killed by Qi’ra. Beckett is dead, Han had to kill him. Qi’ra left in the Crimson Dawn yatch, making her position in this complex situation impeccably clear to Han. And of course, Lando ran away with the Falcon as soon as trouble started.  
  
So now it’s only Han and Chewbacca.  
  
It doesn’t take Han as long as he anticipated to find Lando. Maybe he isn’t hiding from him as well as he thought the gambler would.  
  
When he finds him, he’s playing sabacc in a casino on a planet covered in a vast jungle, which does not surprise Han in the least.  
  
What surprises him more is Lando’s delighted reaction when he sees him walk in.  
  
“Han! You’re alive!” he says, a huge grin splitting his face as he stands up to greet him.  
  
Han thought he was ready to see Lando again, that he was prepared this time, and that maybe his unasked-for feelings for him would be gone by now, but they aren’t. The man is even more stunning than he remembered, wearing another of his stupid combination of an overly colorful silk shirt and cape, and the simple sight of him makes his breath catch in his throat and his heart rate speed up against his will.  
  
Han is here on business though. Not to get anything out of this potential thing between him and Lando, not after he abandoned him on Savareen, fleeing the planet like a coward. He is here to win the Falcon fair and square and that is it.  
  
Plus, Lando mispronounced his name again. Han has so many reasons to be really pissed at him. And honestly, he is.  
  
“Yeah, no thanks to you. I should have Chewie rip your arms off! In fact, Chewie just might…” he starts angrily as the other man reaches him.  
  
“Hey, hey, Han! We are friends,” exclaims Lando as his smile melts into a frown, raising his hands in surrender at Chewie’s enraged growls. “You know that. We’re friends, right?” he finishes with a tantalizing smile, slowly lowering his arms.  
  
And that’s when Han sees it. The winning card up Lando’s sleeve. The exact reason why he didn’t win the Falcon the first time he met Lando and played sabacc against him.  
  
Without giving himself too much time to think about what he’s about to do, Han bursts into laughter and grabs Lando by his wrist to pull him into a tight hug, managing to steal the card from inside his sleeve before burying his head in Lando’s shoulder and fully abandoning himself to the hug. Lando hugs him back just as tightly and turns his head a little to whispers in Han’s ear “I’m sorry, _baby_. I really am.”  
  
A shiver runs through Han’s body at the feel of the gambler’s hot breath against the side of his face and he takes a deep inhale of Lando’s clean and musky scent before letting go of him, a smile splayed across his face.  
  
“Oh, look at you! Thought he was gonna rip your arms off!” laughs Han, playing it cool as always and pretending what just happened didn’t twist his insides and made him rethink the entire purpose of his visit for the hundredth time.  
  
“I knew you were kidding!”  
  
“No, you didn’t.”  
  
They then enter in a little argument about Lando’s cut from the job until…  
  
“You want a rematch?” incredulously asks Lando.  
  
“Why not?” replies Han. This is the main reason he came here for. To win the Falcon. And now that he’s in possession of Lando’s secret cheating card, nothing can stop him from winning the precious ship.  
  
Both men sit down at the sabacc table ready to play for the much coveted ship. Fidgeting in his seat a little, Han takes a deep breath to calm himself down. He knows he’s able to win the Falcon and he knows that from that point on, there’s a possibility Lando will never want to talk to him ever again, but it’s worth the shot. He’s been dreaming of owning a ship like the Falcon ever since he was a little boy and there’s nothing that will keep him for that dream. And that includes feelings for the most beautiful and infuriating man Han has ever met.  
  
The two men play in dead silence and it’s almost an hour later, when the stressful game starts coming to an end, that Han finally speaks.  
  
“I’m feeling lucky,” he declares as he smugly pushes everything he won so far to the middle of the table.  
  
“Ouuuh. You really have it bad for the Falcon, don’t you?” teases Lando, pointing an accusing finger at the man sitting in front of him.  
  
Han swallows thickly at the unexpected double entendre of the sentence, but quickly catches himself before confidently replying.  
  
“It’s mutual, trust me. She belongs with me.”  
  
Lando smiles brighter at him before reaching down the table with his right hand. Han watches him smugly as he struggles for a while, fully aware that Lando is searching for his winning card but is unable to find it.  
  
“You got everything you need there, pal?”  
  
Lando smiles at him again, slightly tighter around the edges, before laying down his cards. The whole room erupts in cheers at the seemingly winning combination.  
  
Lando raises an elegant eyebrow at him, but Han refuses to let himself being intimidated or flirted with, now is definitely not the time.  
  
“Not bad,” he conceives. “Not bad, no. If you’d only have this little green card,” he pulls out Lando’s card from his jacket pocket and the whole room gasps, “you would’ve beaten this!” he almost shouts as he throws his own cards on the table, the entire room bursting in even louder cheers at Han’s obvious win.  
  
Lando’s eyes widen in disbelief and he slowly lower his head down in embarrassment.  
  
“Fair and square, _baby_ ! Fair and square!” proudly declares Han as Chewie roars of happiness next to him.  
  
This time, he does not regret using the pet name, nor is he embarrassed by it, as it makes Lando raise his head a little, almost hopefully looking at him, while the crowd still celebrates around them both.  
  
Maybe, Han thinks, he will leave this planet having won both the things he most desperately wanted after all.  
  
***  
  
The next time they see each other, Han is sitting at the bar of the casino.  
  
He decided to stay after his win, eager to celebrate a least a little and not in a rush to go anywhere. The possible smuggling job on Tatooine that Beckett had talked about could wait for a night.  
  
“I gotta admit, Han, I didn’t expect that of you. I didn’t think you had it in you,” says a deep voice next to his ear that Han would recognize anywhere.  
And not just because the voice in question mispronounced his name for the umpteenth time.  
  
“Lando!” he replies extra cheerfully, trying to hide his deep relief at seeing him again, spinning around in his chair to great the man. “And I didn’t expect you’d still want to talk to me, not after I humiliated you like that,” he finishes while gesturing at the empty stool next to him. Chewie is off drinking with some other friends he made and won’t be interrupting their conversation.  
  
Gesturing to the bartender to bring them drinks, Lando sits down next to Han, a surprisingly soft smile spreading across his features.  
  
“Well, it was fair and square like you said. I wouldn’t have accepted such humiliation from anyone else but from you…I can let it slide this time. Besides, I know how much the Falcon means to you,” he almost whispers, seemingly avoiding to look Han in the eyes.  
  
“You can’t be serious? This ship means the world to you, why are you suddenly so nice about me having it?” Han asks incredulously, all trace of previous smugness gone from his voice.  
  
A small laugh escapes Lando as he turns fully in his seat to face Han, his left knee pressing in Han’s right thigh. Trying to ignore the sudden point of contact, Han focuses on Lando’s mouth instead, which isn’t necessarily better.  
  
“You told me your dad used to build this type of ship and that it’s one of the reasons you always wanted to be a pilot. And I saw you fly her. You’re a damn good pilot. You need a ship of that quality, and I know you’re gonna make good use of her. As long as I can visit her from time to time to make sure you’re taking good care of her,” he smirks, “you were clever and worked hard to win her. You deserve it.”  
  
Still taken aback by Lando’s sudden generosity, Han watches him turn back to face the bar, his eyes darkening as they get drawn involuntarily to Lando’s smooth throat as he throws his head back to swallow the drink the bartender just brought them.  
  
“Yeah well thanks, pal, it means a lot,” he says gruffly, tearing his eyes off the offending sight.  
  
Han briefly catches Lando’s eye as he sends him a quick sideway glance and feels his cheek grow hotter when he sees Lando’s signature flirty smile appear on his lips.  
  
“So, what about your girl? Did she leave you like I told you she would?” asks Lando in what could be described a carefully disinterested way.  
  
“Yeah, she did. Made her decision clear enough by leaving with the Crimson Dawn. She told me she’d clear my debts to them, though, so I gotta be grateful for that. Plus, she wasn’t really ‘my girl’ anymore. Hasn't been for a while, if I'm honest,” Han replies in the same disinterested tone, downing his own drink.  
  
“Must be painful still, leaving behind someone that once mattered so much to you,” says Lando, suddenly much closer to Han than he was a moment before.  
  
“Yeah, well. I’d known for a while what she had gotten herself into and Beckett told me not to trust anybody, so…” tries to finish Han, refusing to look at Lando, his breath coming to a sudden stop as he feels the gambler’s warm breath on his neck, soon followed by his lips.  
  
Han’s whole body shuddered as he felt Lando make his way up his neck, leaving open mouthed kisses on his burning skin.  
  
“Do you trust me, _baby_ ?” Lando asks in a low tone, his lips having reached Han’s cheek.  
  
“Hell no,” exhales Han, finally turning towards Lando and grabbing his face with his hands before finally pressing their lips together.  
  
Of course, their first kiss would be in a crowded casino bar. How silly of Han to ever think otherwise.  
  
It’s messy and unrefined and relatively chaste, but it’s already the best kiss Han has ever had in his life. Lando was right, everything he heard about him really was true.  
  
After a few too short seconds, Han pulls away from the kiss, letting his hands drop to his sides. Breathless, slightly shocked by his own bold action and embarrassed by how turned on he is by a simple kiss, he opens his eyes to find Lando’s flicking between his eyes and lips a few times, his breath coming in short bursts on his lips.  
  
“I’ve been wanting to do this since…”  
  
“Me too, fuck, me too.”  
  
This time, it’s Lando who dives in first, his soft lips hungrily pushing Han’s apart, allowing his tongue to slip in, kissing him simultaneously deeper and more sensuously, in a way Han has never been kissed before.  
  
Han feels himself move closer to Lando, one hand sneaking around his waist, the other cupping his cheek, revealing in the feel of Lando’s hand tugging at the hair at the back of his head.  
  
The kiss soon turns into something much dirtier than they both intended and it’s not until Han hears the deep moan rumbling in Lando’s throat as he bites down on his lower lip that he realizes he’s almost completely moved from his bar stool onto Lando’s lap.  
  
Reluctantly pulling away, he offers Lando a slightly uncertain smile, taken aback by the almost debauched state of the usually so well put together man, unable to stop himself from feeling a pang of pride at the knowledge that he was the reason Lando looked like that.  
  
“Maybe we should take this somewhere else,” he shyly suggests, waving his hand towards the door.  
  
“I’d love that, Han,” replies Lando, smiling both genuinely and flirtily at the other man, offering him his hand as he stands up from his stool.  
  
Feeling himself blush almost more violently than when they were making out, Han stands up as well and softly intertwines his fingers with his partner’s, letting himself being pulled away from the crowd.  
  
“Hey, you said my name properly,” the smuggler suddenly realizes, almost coming to a full stop as they walk through the door.  
  
“Did I? It was a mistake,” teases Lando, looking back at him almost adoringly. “I promise it won’t happen again, _baby_.”  
  
Yeah, thinks Han, a huge grin spreading on his face. Their entire story really could be told through this ridiculous pet name.

**Author's Note:**

> (lando's surprising okayness with han winning the falcon is out of genuine love and respect but after they break up wayyy later on (if we stick to canon ugh), he becomes possessive of it again which explains why he's like That in empire strikes back, okay thanks!!)
> 
> comments, kudos and bookmarks are appreciated!
> 
> you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/IgbtpiIots) and on [tumblr](https://tumblr.com/sunflowerstump) for more star wars, marvel and les mis related bs


End file.
